Ebooks: The sceptics

'In a world of ebooks, you won't be able to see what people are reading. I really enjoy clocking what everyone's got with them on the train. I once had a lovely conversation with a young man who was making notes in a copy of Tom Stoppard's Arcadia.'

Will Self, novelist

'I rather loathe computers so I don't feel ebooks have a lot to do with me as a reader. As a writer - well, if enough people begin to use them, the consequences for writers are, frankly, disastrous, so it's hard to feel sanguine.'

Amanda Ross, creator of the Richard & Judy Book Club

'I am horrified by the idea of ebooks. I love the feel and production of books, and I covet them as possessions. Reading is a visual medium, and the sense of holding a properly produced book for me is part of the enjoyment.'